Could you build your own house?

As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. But just how does one go
about building a home in the first place? Find out some fun facts about
this detailed process by taking the quiz.

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Question 1 of 10

How long does it take for the concrete in a house's foundation to fully cure?

about 2 days

about 1 week

about 4 weeks

A foundation needs about four weeks to fully cure, depending on the weather.

Question 2 of 10

What is the role of a contractor?

A contractor is hired to build a house and personally completes every aspect of the production process.

A contractor inspects a house to make sure it has been built properly.

A contractor is responsible for making sure a house is properly built, but makes use of subcontractors to complete certain aspects of a house's construction.

Contractors coordinate the building process of a home, making sure it's built on time and on budget, but they'll usually hire subcontractors who specialize in areas like plumbing and roofing to complete certain aspects of a home.

Question 3 of 10

What's a stud?

a horse used for breeding

an attractive young man

2x4s with their centers placed 16 inches apart running along the inside of a house's walls

While technically all three are studs, the one that applies to home construction is the third one. Studs give a house's walls strength, and anyone who's ever tried to hang up something heavy knows how important studs are -- they provide a more secure anchor than the drywall in between.

Question 4 of 10

Why is plywood so important in home construction?

Plywood forms a barrier to keep out pests.

Plywood is a key component of home insulation.

Plywood strengthens and stabilizes different portions of a home's frame.

Plywood, and the similar product OSB (orientated strand board), is used in flooring, walls and roofs. It's important because it's very rigid, less prone to warping or shrinking and relatively low in cost.

Question 5 of 10

Commonly-used basic roof framing components are known as?

joists

trusses

Trusses are prefabricated triangular wooden roof supports that come in a variety of configurations, such as M truss, scissors truss and gable truss. They're preferred by builders because they're very strong, they transmit weight to the main load-bearing outer walls and they can be installed quickly. Trusses are also customizable and less expensive than any alternatives.

headers

Question 6 of 10

Why are bathtubs filled during the installation process?

Construction workers have a hard job -- sometimes they need a hot soak at the end of the day!

Bathtubs are heavy -- and they get a lot heavier when filled with water -- filling them up let's them settle into place.

While the construction workers may have had a long day, they'll have to go to their own homes to take a bath. Filling a bathtub right after it's put into place helps make sure it doesn't cause any damages (like cracking tiles or walls) the first time it's used by the new homeowner.

The bathtub is filled in order to clean away any sawdust, plaster or other debris that result from the installation process.

Question 7 of 10

Why do the pipes under all the house's plumbing fixtures have looping bends in them?

Without those bends, sinks, bathtubs and toilets wouldn't smell quite so sweet -- sewer air would waft up through the pipes.

Those bends, commonly called P-traps, block sewer gases from coming up through the plumbing. They usually have U-, J- or S-shaped portions which work by holding a pool of water and that doesn't let the gases pass.

Those tricky bends are installed with the plumbing just so people have to hire the plumbers later to come and unclog them.

They help conserve water.

Question 8 of 10

What's the soffit?

The method used to interlock panels of vinyl siding.

The area extending out from a home's outer walls, below the roof overhang.

The soffit is the part of the house where the roof overhangs the walls. It's parallel to the roof and perforated so air can flow into the attic and ventilate it.

The aluminum strips that are fixed to places where roof shingles meet portions of a house's outer walls, which helps weather-proof the roof against rain.

Question 9 of 10

Why is insulation so important?

Insulation helps the walls breathe so they don't rot or become moldy.

Insulation helps regulate the temperature in a home by blocking heat transfer.

Insulation keeps a house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer by helping to prevent heat transferring in and out of the house.

Insulation acts like a sponge, drawing in heat and forming a warm cocoon all around a house.

Question 10 of 10

What's a punch list?

It's a final list of things that need to be finished before the home construction process is complete.

A punch list details any problems that remain to be fixed. When a house reaches the brink of completion, items on the final punch list -- which may include a faulty electrical outlet, for example -- are addressed by their respective subcontractors. After that, the house is ready for its new owners.

It's a tool used to create the openings for the home's windows and doors.

It's what happens if a house is poorly constructed and starts to list slightly to one side after the contractors are gone -- looking as if it has "been punched."